Senator Leland Yee is chased by reporters as he leaves the federal building in San Francisco, CA, Wednesday Mar. 26, 2014.
The FBI raided State Sen. Leland Yee's office in Sacramento and other locations were searched by the FBI in San Francisco. He was reportedly arrested on public corruption charges Wednesday morning amid raids of his office in Sacramento and searches by the FBI in San Francisco. less

Senator Leland Yee is chased by reporters as he leaves the federal building in San Francisco, CA, Wednesday Mar. 26, 2014.
The FBI raided State Sen. Leland Yee's office in Sacramento and other locations were ... more

When news of state Sen. Leland Yee's arrest on corruption charges broke, I was in the middle of preparing my lecture on federalism for the American Government class I teach at San Francisco State. Throughout the day, a steady stream of calls and texts followed with details of the unfolding political scandal. Like many, I was shocked, dismayed and disappointed by the revelations.

In the days since, I have received calls from all over the country from volunteers and activists concerned about the fallout from the scandal and its possible chilling effect on what had been viewed as one of the most spectacular political ascendancies in urban politics.

It had taken more than three decades and a lot of hard work to bring San Francisco's Chinese American community from the political fringes into the spotlight. What was a historically marginalized group has become in recent years one of the most influential voting blocs in San Francisco - one that elected five Asian American members to the Board of Supervisors and its first Chinese American mayor in 2011. Would the scandal rekindle the immigrant community's long-held distrust of government? Would it dampen the community's drive for greater political representation?

If my students, who are mostly 18- and 19-year-old Asian Americans, are an indication, the answer is a resounding no. The scandal and almost nonstop stream of coverage has not stifled their enthusiasm for politics or their belief in public service. On the contrary, my students and other young people I've spoken to believe the scandal is a call to action for a new generation to get involved in local politics and to bring about reforms to a broken political system that the older generation - my generation - has tolerated for too long. Here is what is needed:

First, no secret deals: We need transparency and accountability from the people we elect to public service. Page after page of the FBI affidavit detailed secret transactions and dealings conducted in the name of the people. If elected leaders are acting on behalf of the public, their actions need to be public.

Second, offer public financing for statewide campaigns: In San Francisco, candidates for mayor and the Board of Supervisors receive taxpayer-supported matching funds to help pay for their campaign. These funds have allowed local candidates to spend less time fundraising and more time communicating with voters. Candidates for statewide office don't have access to public matching funds and must raise enormous sums on their own. A public matching fund program modeled after the successful one we have here in San Francisco would help keep candidates for state offices from resorting to pay-to-play politics.

Third, require mandatory ethics training for all candidates: With three state senators ensnared in ethics scandals in the last month alone, it's obvious that training is sorely needed. In San Francisco, every elected official, city commissioner and department head is required to attend ethics training workshops put on by the city attorney. Why not require it of candidates when they file for state office as well?

Fourth, ban gifts of international travel to elected officials: Benefactor-paid trips to China, Scotland or France just rub voters the wrong way. Some consider these junkets the thinly veiled selling of access to officials with dubious public benefit.

Finally, it's time to bring in a new generation of leadership into the political family of San Francisco: We have many talented Asian American young people who are passionate about inventing new and better ways of doing things. Imagine if we could help them apply some of their vision and energy into public service, we might find a way to eradicate the pay-to-play politics that everyone agrees is eroding public trust in our government.

In the coming year, I plan to join others in calling for reform. I hope you will be part of our effort.